Expression device for musical instruments



Aug. 25, I 1931. s. BATTNER v EXPRESSION DEVICE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUIENTSFiled July 10. 1929 Patented Aug. 25, 1931 {UNITED STATES Pare m orerceSTEPHENY'BATTNER', OF L TQRTH TONiAw 'ANDA, =N-EY-V YORK, ASSIGNOR TO'TH'ER'UDOLPH 'WURIEITZER M-ZfN'UFACTURINGEQMPANY, OF NQRTHTONAWANDA,'NEW"YORK, A

EXPRESSION DEVICE 50R .IMUS'ICAL INSTRUMENTS Application :filed July 10,

Thisinvention .relateslto improvements in expression devicesforautom'atic musical 1nstruments, particularlly player or reproducingpianos.

55 One off its objects .is the provision of an expression device which.is simple, compact anddurablein construction, which is reliable and-etlicient .in operation, and Whose parts areso organizedandarrangedasto accurate- Q lyireproduceifine grades ofexpression orstep changes in playing intensity.

Other features of the invention reside in the aiovehconstruction andarrange'ment 01f partslhereina 'fter described and particularly pointedout in [the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings;

Figure 1 iisasectional side elevat' on of an expression device embodyingmy improvements. Figure 9 is a front end vieiv thereof.

' Figure Bisanen d viewofthe clutch control mechanismofmydevice. v v

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding ,parts throughoutthe several views.

In the preferred.embodiment of the inventionsshown in the drawings,indicates a wind .chest .of any ,wellIknown construction having apassagell for connection with a main-sourceo fgpower or; suction .(notshown) such as abellows for operating the playing.

pneumaticsofthe instrument. Interposed in this spassage ista partition.12'havin a valve controlled port 13. The passage '11 at one side-oftheipartition maybe termed thehig'h oralnregulatedexhaust chest andthepassage 1929. :Serial No. 377,287.

port 17 and which has a spring '18 connected to its movable board toyieldingly resist its collapse, said pneumatic tending to close "thevalve 15. Disposed in opposing relation to the regulatorpneumatic is amain expression pneumatic 19 and located between "them'is a rock lever20 pivoted vat 21 to swing in the direction of movement of the movableboards of such pneumatics. Pivoted a't 22't0the'ffree end of'this rockleverto swing'laterally thereof is a centralizing rocker arm "23,one-end of which is connected by a link 24with the movable board of theregulator pneumatic 16, while the other end thereof-is connected by asimilar link 25 with the corresponding board of theiexpression pneumatic19. The regulator valve is suspended fromt'he rock lever by a rod orstem26 secured at ,its lower end to the valve and extending freelyat'its upper end through an opening in the lever. Above the lever thisrod has a nu't28 and interposed between the latter and the :lever is aspring 29 which yieldingly sustains "the valve 15,, the tension ofsuch-spring "being stronger than that of the suction or full atmosphericpressure. The connection of the regulator and expression pneumatics-with the actuating valve lever results in the opening of'the valve 15upon the collapseof the expression pneumatic and in "the closing of 'thevalve upon the collapse of the regulator pneumatic in each case therockerarm 23 constitutes a lever between the links 24, and the;points ofattachment of' the latter with the rocker arm constitute pivots aboutwhich said arm turns in transmitting the movements of the pneumatics "tothe valvea-ctua'tinsr "lever.

A series of auxiliary expression pneumatics30 for the purpose of'obtainingquick accen'ting effects are provided which are adaptedtocontrol the valve 15 independent of the main expression pneumatic 19.For thispurpose a rock shaft 31 is provided which isarrangedsubstantially parallel totheiock lever 20 and which is journaledat its ends in suitable bearings 32. Projectingradially from theshaftare a series of arms 38connected at their outer ends with themovable boards of the corresponding "auxiliary expression pneumatics 30through the medium of springs 34, which are capable of being readilyadjusted to the desired tension. Another radial arm 35 is secured to therock shaft and connected therewith is the upper end of the valve stem 26to which an adjusting nut 26 is applied for engagement with the top sideof said arm 35, so that when one or another of the auxiliary expressionpneumatics is collapsed the shaft 31 is accordingly rocked downwardly tolower or open the valve 15, the latter being thus controlled in thisinstance independently of the pneumatics 16 and 19. It is also to benoted that the connection between the regulator pneumatic 16 and themain expression pneumatic 19 is such that the position of the former isnot in any way influenced by the latter, but only by the regulator valve15.

The main and auxiliary expression pneumatics may be controlledautomatically from the tracker board of the instrument in any approvedmanner.

The expression pneumatic 19 is provided with automatic means for holdingits movable board in different positions so as to obtain finer grades ofexpression in combination with the auxiliary pneumatics 30. For thispurpose a rack bar 36 is provided which is pivoted at 37 to the movableboard of the pneumatic 19 while its other end meshes with a pinion 38mounted on a spindle 39 secured to a bracket 40 and carrying aclutch-disk 41, the latter and its pinion being free to revolve on saidspindle. The rack bar is held in engagement with the pinion by a roller45) applied to the bracket and bearing on the cushioned face of the rackbar, as seen in Figure 1. Movable into and out of engagement with thedisk 41 is a companion clutch-disk 43 splined on the spindle andconstantly urged into frictional engagement therewith by a spring 44. Alever 45 engaging a grooved collar 46 on the movable clutch-disk isprovided for shifting the same out of engagement with its companiondisk, said lever being pneumatically controlled from the tracker bypneumatics 47,48 disposed side by side. The pneumatic 47 operates inconjunction with the expression pneumatic 19 to release the-clutch disks41, 43 when exhausting the latter pneumatic to increase the tension, andthe other pneumatic 48 operates independently of said pneumatic 19 torelease the clutch and permit the same to vary the expression of theselection being rendered. Leading from the pneumatics 19, 47 areconduits 49, 50 which are joined to a common conduit 51 connected to aduct in the tracker (not shown), while the-pneumatic 48 is connected bya conduit 52 with another duct in the tracker. Secured to the movableboard of the pneumatic 47 is a cleat 53 which overlies the correspondingboard of the companion pneumatic 48, as that whenever said first-namedpneumatic is collapsed by the uncovering of the respective tracker-duct,such companion pneumatic is likewise collapsed. The movable board of thelatter, however, is not attached to the cleat so that it is capable ofbeing collapsed independently of the pneumatic 47 for the purposepresently to be described. The clutch lever 45 is connected by a link 54with the pneumatic 48, so that whenever the latter is compelled to besimultaneously collapsed with the companion pneumatic 47, or is causedto be independently collapsed, the clutch disks 41, 43 are released,permitting the expression pneumatic 19 to be deflated or inflated toproduce the desired step by step grades of expression. In other words,the pneumatic 47 releases the clutch to permit the deflation of theexpression pneumatic 19 and the companion pneumatic 48 releases theclutch to enable the expression pneumatic to return to its inflatedposition. The length of the expression-controlling holes in the notesheet determines the degree of deflation or inflation of the pneumatic19 and the moment such openings pass out of register with theircorresponding tracker ducts, the spring 44 promptly engages the clutchelements, arresting said pneumatic and maintaining it in anyintermediate position until released to produce a different grade ofexpression.

Briefly stated, the operation of this expression device is as followsWhen the instrument is started, a partial vacuum is created in the windchest 10 to operate the playing pneumatics, such vacuum tending tocollapse the regulator pneumatic 16 against the resistance offered byits spring 18. As the regulator pneumatic collapses, it rocks the lever20 in a direction to partially close the regulating valve 15. If thevolume of regulated air in the wind chest is small, the regulatorpneumatic will collapse more and tend to more fully close the valve tocut ofl the main supply, while should the volume increase, the regulatorpneumatic will be inflated proportionately and the valve will be openedwider.

When a gradual expression is desired, such as crescendo, the mainexpression pneumatic 19 is brought into operation in the customary way,which will result in its being deflated more or less and thus cause theregulating valve 15, through the connections 20, 23, 24 and 25, to beopened wider and permit a larger volume of high tension partial vacuumto be admitted to the regulator pneumatic which in turn collapses afurther degree. It will be understood that the governor pn0umatic willbe working under high tension and will constantly tend, through therocker arm '23 and rock lever 20, to close the valve.

Should the volume be greater at times, the governor pneumatlc Wlll openthe valve wider to compensate for such larger volume.

When a quick or accentuating expression is desired, the auxiliaryexpression pneumatics 30 are brought into play which act when deflated,to open the valve 15 independently of the main expression pneumatic byrocking the shaft 31 accordingly and forcing the valve stem 26downwardly against the resistance of the spring 29. \Vhen the expressionpneumatic or pneumatics 30 are again inflated, the spring returns thevalve to its initial position.

The provision of the clutch mechanism makes it possible to automaticallymaintain the expression pneumatic in any position for producing desiredplaying intensities of varying duration.

I claim as my invention 1. An expression device for automatic musicalinstruments, comprising a regulating pneumatic, a regulating valveinterposed between the source of power and the playing action of theinstrument, an expression pneumatic arranged in opposing relation tosaid regulating pneumatic, an actuating lever for said valve operativelyconnected to said regulating pneumatic and said expression pneumatic,the deflation of the regulating pneumatic tending to close the valve andthe deflation of the expression pneumatic tending to open the valve, andautomatic means for releasably holding said expression pneumatic in anyintermediate position.

2. An expression device for automatic musical instruments, comprising aregulating pneumatic, a regulating valve interposed between the sourceof power and the playing action of the instrument, an expressionpneumatic arranged in opposing relation to said regulating pneumatic, anactuating member "for said valve operatively connected to saidregulating pneumatic and said expression meumatic, means for holding thelatter in eitl'erent intermediate positions, and automatic means forreleasing said holding means.

3. An expression device for automatic musical instruments, comprising aregulating pneumatic, a regulating valve interposed between the sourceof power and the playing action of the instrument, an expressionpneumatic arranged in opposing relation to said regulating pneumatic, anactuating lever for said valve i'ulcrumed at one end to swing in theplane or movement of the movable boards of said pneumatics, said valvehaving a stem suspended from said lever intermediate its ends, andconnections between the free end of said lever and the expression andregulating pneumatics.

4. An expression device for automatic musical instruments, comprising aregulating pneumatic, a regulating valve interposed between the sourceof power and the playing action of the instrument, an expressionpneumatic arranged in opposing relation to said regulating pneumatic, anactuating lever for said valve *fulcrumcd at one end ito swing kin theplane of movement off the movablefboards of said xpneumatics, said"valve having a stem -'sus pended :from said lever intermedi ate itsends, connec'tions "between (thefree end otsaidlever andtheexpression:and re'gulating pneumatic-s, and clutch means afarlrolding=said expression pneumatic .in ldlflfll ent intermediatepositions.

5. An expression device for sautoma'tic musical instruments, comprisingza'xregulating pneumatic, a regulating valve interposedibe-z tween thesource :of power and ithe :plmyiing action of th'e instrument,-anexpressioii-ipneu matic arranged in opposing relation :to saidregulating pneumatic, an actuating rleveru for said valve itu'lcrumedatione end .tossvuingiin the planeof-movement of the .movableaboardsoi'said pneumatics, said valve having ass'tem suspended from said leverintermediate iits ends, a spring applied 'ItO ithe valverstem above saidlever and bearing thereon, :rmd connections betweenrthe'lfree endo'fsai'd lever and the expression and regulating .pn'eumatics. i

6. An expression device ifor autematic'mu sical instruments, comprising:a iregula'ting pneumatic, a regulating valve iinterposed between thesourcelof power and the playing action of the instrument, an expressionpneumatic arranged in opposing relation to said regulating pneumatic, anactuating member for said valve operatively connected to said regulatingpneumatic and said expression pneumatic, pneumatically operated clutchmeans for releasing said expression pneumatic, and an auxiliaryexpression pneumatic operatively connected to said valve for controllingit independently of said main expression pneumatic and said actuatingmember.

7. An expression device for automatic musical instruments, comprising aregulating pneumatic, a regulating valve interposed between the sourceof power and the playing action of the instrument, an expressionpneumatic arranged in opposing relation to said regulating pneumatic, anactuating lever for said valve fulcrumed at one end to swing in theplane of movement of the movable boards of said pneumatics, said valvehaving a stem suspended from said lever intermediate its ends, a rockarm fulcrumed at the free end of the lever for movement crosswisethereof, links extending in opposite directions from the ends of therock arm and connected, respectively, to the movable boards of saidregulating pneumatic and said expression pneumatic, and pneumaticallyoperated clutch means connected to the movable board of the expressionpneumatic for holding the same in different intermediate positions.

8. An expression device for automatic musical instruments, comprising aregulating pneumatic, a regulating valve interposed between the sourceof power and the playing action of the instrument, an expressionpneumatic arranged in opposing relation to said regulating neumatic, anactuating lever for said valve ulcrumed at one end to swing in the planeof movement of the movable boards of said pneumatics, said valve havinga stem suspended from said lever intermediate its ends, a rock armfulcrumed at the free end of the lever for movement crosswise thereof,links extending in opposite directions from the ends of the rock arm andconnected, respectively, to the movable boards of said regulatingpneumatic and said expression pneumatic, a plurality of auxiliary expression neumatics, a rock shaft carrying arms operatively connected to saidauxiliary pneumatics, a second arm carried by said shaft and connectedto the valve-stem, a spring applied to the latter and interposed betweensaid second arm and said actuating lever, said second arm controllingthe regulating valve in response to the actuation of said auxiliaryexpression pneumatics and independently of the actuating lever, andpneumatically operated clutch means connected to the movable board ofthe expression pneumatic for holding the same in different intermediatepositions.

STEPHEN BATTNER.

